3 Arrested In $100K Loan Scam At New Rochelle Car Dealership: NRPD

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — An identity theft ring was caught in the act of attempting to fraudulently purchase a new car, according to police.

On Thursday, around 4:30 p.m., New Rochelle Police Department detectives were contacted by employees at New Rochelle Toyota about a possibly fraudulent purchase of a vehicle taking place at the dealership.

Detectives found three suspects still at the scene when they arrived, two of whom were unlawfully using names and social security numbers of unsuspecting victims from Pennsylvania and Iowa to obtain a car loan for over $100,000, investigators said.

Detectives contacted the out-of-state victims and confirmed that they were unsuspecting victims of identity theft.

Police then arrested all three suspects.

Victoria K. Mendez, 34, of Queens and 24-year-old Sherrine Pelaez-Zencovich of Quebec, Canada were both charged with felony grand larceny, felony conspiracy, felony possession of a forged instrument and felony identity theft.

25-year-old Luis Ortega Perez of Jackson Heights, Queens was charged with felony conspiracy and misdemeanor criminal possession of a controlled substance.